Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud exhibiting for the first time at SalonQP

Following the launch of its first timekeeper in September in Paris resulting in extensive media coverage by the international specialized press, the Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud is about to unveil its Chronometer FB 1 to enthusiasts galvanized by fine mechanics.

Ferdinand Berthoud, born in Val-de-Travers, Switzerland in 1727, led a brilliant career as a horologist-mechanic in Paris. His work is notable for his particular passion for the question of how to determine longitude at sea – which previously remained unsolved – and which had kept the most brilliant minds of Europe busy since the publication in England of the Longitude Act of 1714.

His research would naturally lead him temporarily to London to study the work of Sir John Harrison. Sir Thomas Mudge and other prominent members of the Royal Society then tried by any means available to keep him in London, going so far as to have him appointed a “foreign associate member” of the Royal Society.

However Ferdinand Berthoud returned to France to pursue his research, and following the successful trials at sea of his marine clocks n°6 and n°8 which allowed the calculation of longitude to within half a degree, he attained the most respected position of his time.

In 1770, he was appointed Horologist-Mechanic to the King and the Navy by Louis XV. From this moment on, France would be able to rival England in its quest for naval supremacy and the building of its empire.

Today, the Chronométrie pursues her voyage in the wake of Ferdinand Berthoud, truly inspired by the great master’s mesmerizing marine chronometers and guided by his spirit of precision and innovation.

We would be delighted to welcome you on the second floor of SalonQP from November 12 to 14 at the Saatchi Gallery, London, for the discovery of our seductive homage to Ferdinand Berthoud.

The exhibition will take place at SalonQP 2015 at the Saatchi Gallery, London, from November 12 to 14.
For more information please visit www.salonqp.com